Community Development Advocates of Detroit’s (CDAD) Strategic Framework draws on the power of Detroit residents to shape their own neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Revitalization Strategic Framework provides a vision for the potential future direction of any given type of area in the City of Detroit, even those areas that are underutilized or abandoned. D3 has worked with CDAD to develop a composite analysis of indicators to illustrate the category, characteristics, and relative strengths of each census block in the city. Community organizations can use the strategic analysis to assess neighborhood conditions and guide investment decisions and revitalization efforts.

The CDAD Strategic Framework process consists of public exercises to help residents and community stakeholders work together to envision the future directions of their neighborhood. LEAP and UNI have utilized the strategic framework process to describe and prioritize strategies to achieve a collective vision.

Residential Typology Analysis

D3’s analysis of block-level current conditions is comprised of housing and population indicators as they relate to CDAD’s residential typologies. The spectrum of indicators encompasses Traditional Residential, Spacious Residential, Urban Homestead, Naturescape, and alternative use typologies. This analysis combines an evaluation of “traditional residential” characteristics (brown and yellow) with an analysis of residential areas with fewer remaining housing structures (green).

Brown, orange, and yellow blocks aligned with CDAD’s Traditional Residential Sector typology. Generally, the darker brown areas reflect residential areas that are more active, have higher population density, fewer vacant lots, fewer properties owned by banks, investors or the city, and less population decline.

Orange tend to have more challenges to the stability of the neighborhood such as higher rates of housing vacancy or bank ownership or population decline. These areas are stable neighborhoods, but require more intervention than brown areas to retain that stability.

Yellow areas have even greater challenges to neighborhood stability. Generally, blocks depicted as yellow have less existing housing than a brown area. These areas would require more intensive stabilization to be considered “traditional residential”.